Late night browsing of my book with the colour testing sheet. I keep these sheets with my sketchbooks but was thinking of binding them into a book of their own that corresponds with my sketchbooks…. Just one of those things you think about when you can’t sleep and are obsessed with painting.

My first postcard printed from artwork created for my new book Sketching Nature, which will be available 6th May. Primula vulgaris ….. flowering now! How timely of it:) one of my favourites

I forgot to share my lichen sketchbook page - painted from branches gifted by Storm Darragh. The storm was rough but painting the lichens created some calm afterwards.
That right angled branch fit perfectly into the page corner - not what I expected from nature but then nothing ever is. #sketchbook

Frosty mornings! Snowdrops are on their way. Here’s previous years sketchbook pages. Love the muted winter palette #winterflowers#botanicalsketchbook#sketchingnature

The sky tonight. Perfect for finishing off a new sketchbook page….. if I can refrain from staring out the window. #wintersky# sketchingnature#botanicalsketchbook#sunset

An old one from my sketchbook. Those early hellebores will be coming back soon. Such beautiful flowers #botanicalsketchbook#sketchingnature#hellebores

More storm subjects! Lichens are great subjects and colours - but not always so easy to replicate. Here’s a sketch page of broken branches with lichens from last years storm. Also a little collection from this years storm Darragh - ready to paint #botanicalsketchbook#painting#lichens#stormdarragh

Excited! My new book ‘Sketching Nature’, is finished! It be available on the 6th May 2025. So I’ve added a new page to my website with more information and current stockists - that I know of for UK and overseas. Will add more as things progress.

www.diannesutherland.com/new-book

Another leaf underway ….. found blowing in the wind #painingnature#botanicalart#naturepainter#paintaleaf challenge

For November I’ve been mostly painting leaves….it’s a good time of year for it! Here’s the underside of a red maple - I prefer the colour of back to the front! I love painting the dirty blue looking dark spots most of all #paintaleaf#botanicalpaintet#paintaleafchallenge#plantpainter

Dark, windy and cold today. Tis almost the season to paint the dead stuff. Here’s the rather poorly looking Ash tree that lives at the bottom of the lane …. Wearing its mossy coat and teaming with an army of life upon close inspection, there’s a lot going on #botanicalsketchbook#trees#nature

As the year comes to a close - here’s a rewind to the first page from 2024. I’m often asked the ‘what do you paint in winter?’ Lots of branches of course! how can anyone tire of them. This one I pimped with a bird skull. #paintingnature #naturejournal #botanicalsketchbook

The best thing I ever did as an artist is my sketchbook… it makes me happy. Most of the plants featured I find at my feet and close to home. It’s a personal journey of documenting what’s on the doorstep, with the occasional one from my travels. The dandelion is featured several times.

Sometimes I paint other things. Butterflies seem appropriate here - with a few moths too.

My window to the world and favourite spot for sketchbook work. This is where I escape the ‘other’ things in life. Every day is different, the light, the sky, the birds etc. the light is slightly crazy sometimes but I like it …light brings new dimensions.
#naturesketchbook
#botanicalskethckbook

My latest botanical sketckbook is complete. I think there are 62 species over 46 pages in this one. Last page is all about ‘knowing the colours’ hence all those swatches and light to dark subjects- keep it simple with colour and it’s much easy